Meet the world’s best pencil. Might also be the most expensive. I thoroughly checked the product and it is just another pencil, probably made on the same machine as the world’s worst. No, hold on, I did get a batch of Chinese pencils on sale that could not be sharpened without breaking the lead. Are you getting four times the pencil at four times the price? I’ll keep my five bucks and let somebody else answer that one.
Nothing. That is what happened today. The hottest day yet. In the shade, 102 degrees. One of the benefits of early retirement is still being young enough to enjoy life. But just like you get “work tired” in your thirties, you get play tired. I sacked for a late afternoon siesta and woke up thirteen hours later. The nicest part is I was neither late nor early nor did I miss a thing. Only those who have thrown the alarm clock away for over five years ever really know what relaxation it. It takes that much time to relearn it.That might be a curious number, the count of days of my life I woke up to an alarm. Hang on, I’ll be right back. Ok, back. Allowing for graduation at an earlier age than most, but including the years I was in grad school and the fine point that two weeks of annual holidays is a medieval concept (I would still use an alarm to maximize my vacation time), I was 39 years at the mercy of the clock. Yet I believe my total of 9,165 mornings isn’t half as bad as the schmeebs, Al Capone’s term for wage-slaves.
(Here’s my infrequent reminder to the reader that I never set out to get rich. I tried when the opportunity arose, but that was never my goal. I realized by age 12 that I never stood a chance. But nor did I want to waste my life working to pay the never-ending bills. I succeeded admirably enough. And yes, to the smart alecks out there, I realize that both my brothers technically did the same by simply never working or paying their bills.)
Me, the top rated non-casino Bingo caller of Florida, makes a report. I have called bingo158 times as a professional. Of those, 133 were 50/50s, where the house takes half the prize of the last game, so I’ve called how many individual games? Works out to 1,713 games. My estimate is it takes 52 numbers called for each bingo, so that means I’ve done the “Under the B” thing 89,076 times.
And, to show up for that many games, the gasoline cost has been $954.26. There were other costs but that is the single largest. I did not track the prize money though even with the smaller crowds, the average jackpot of $36 (est.) means at least $60,000 has traded hands. Gambling is not part of the Great Depression of 2006. And you don’t need to be a genius to figure out why the club now loves me there on a Saturday.
The things that catch my eye. There is a short video (sorry, no link) for vacations in Marco Island so I thought I would total up what it would cost to actually par-tay as depicted. That includes golf, spa, fishing, boat rental, dining, and my guess is you’d need around $3,000 per day. Extra if you have kids. This represents precisely the type of credit-based house of cards that has to get flattened before America is ever great again. I’ve been to Marco and that price is twenty times higher than what it is worth.
Below you can get a progress report on the road trip, but I can pretty much guaranty I’ll be slowing down to an average of less than 50 mph. There is no rush and I’d like to see a few things along the way. You might say the first trip of my life without a deadline was St. Augustine, and that is the only way to travel. I’m the type that will stop at a gravel pit if I think there’s something new to see.
ADDENDUM
As the departure date gets nearer, the Colorado trip gets better planned. I just hope I get there before bad news gets here, and thanks to Nashville, this is entirely possible. For now, let’s accentuate the planning. The chosen route is 2,154 miles with an estimated travel time of 38 hours 16 minutes (2,296 minutes, or averaging 56.33 mph). I cross a several major truck routes that some Americans euphemistically call “Interstates” but will avoid them entirely.
Planned coffee stops are in Valdosta, Shreveport, Wichita Falls, and Pueblo. It is unknown at this time how many days this means, but I intend to take it easy. Probably 5 days at 431 miles per day. Another delay is the new motorcycle has leaky manifold gaskets which means it’s getting 15 miles per gallon until they are replaced. Remember, I got this motorcycle at such a bargain, I can sink lots more into it before I get dissatisfied.
This also means this weekend’s trip the Keys is cancelled. In the big picture, the bike runs fine. And I still have the little red scooter and the electric bike. For a two-wheeler family unit, I’m doing okay. There remains, however, a pending argument with the management who say “no motorcycles”, but turn a blind eye when all the Canadian renters do it. This is not a motorcycle, it is a sidecar. Legally a different animal.
After all these years, I forget when winter arrives on the prairies. I vaguely recall there is big week-long blustering windstorm, then the frost arrives. But it has been so long I can’t say what month that was. November? I hope to be back [in Florida] by then for the music season. For now, the latest leave date is Monday, September 3, 2012. Five months behind schedule.
So what’s it going to be? If I leave now, I am guaranteed a free place to stay, but I would have to bite the bullet on the extra gasoline tab unless I can find someone to fix those carburetors. The difference in price (one-way) is $341.05 at an estimated $3.80 per gallon. That’s easily within reach, since September is the beginning of Fall semester, and I get along grandly with students who only need somebody who slaps that rent on the table on the first. But of course, I’d rather spend the money on a good time.
And in case anyone is wondering, my people in Colorado are okay, although the son of one supervisor was wounded and spent a long time in surgery.
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